The present invention relates to a thrombectomy apparatus and method for partially dissolving of thrombus by a thrombus dissolving liquid such as, for example, streptokinase or the like.
Thrombectomy apparatuses of this type are known and have a guide wire and a catheter guidable via the same having a distal and a proximal open lumen having a proximal-connectable infusion and/or suction syringe. The procedure adopted in this known apparatus is that initially the guide wire is passed through the tissue of the patient into a vein and along the latter to a thrombus to be removed. Subsequently the catheter is passed via the guide wire to the thrombus, the guide wire is removed, optionally through the catheter is injected an agent, such as streptokinase which wholly or partly dissolves the thrombus and finally the thrombus parts are removed by suction. It can arise that the thrombus parts stick and all the parts introduced into the vein must be removed with a thrombus part from the body. The hole procedure must then be repeated with puncture and controlled, X-ray-observed introduction of the guide wire, which is prejudicial to the patient.
A catheter not of the present type for destroying blood vessel blockages by laser energy is known, which is introduced by its lumen via a guide wire and through lumen cooling and washing liquid can be injected. An optical fibre is embedded in the wall through which the laser energy can be passed to the distal end of the catheter. In addition, double lumen balloon catheters are known, in which a second lumen in the side wall of the catheter issues radially under an elastic film inflatable as a balloon and fixed around the catheter.